Abraham Maslow

and the Hierarchy of needs theory

Abraham Maslow is a well-known psychologist for his theory on human motivation,

specifically the Hierarchy of needs theory, and for his work with monkeys. Maslow’s theory can
also be defined as “intensity at a task”. This means the greater the motivation, the more constant
and intense one will perform a specific task. The basis behind this theory is the knowledge that
all behaviour is goal driven, meaning one will do tasks according to what they obtain after the
task is complete. Maslow has been a very inspirational figure in personality theories.
The Hierarchy of
Needs theory has four
different levels before one
comes to full self-
actualizing. These levels
are, in order, the
psychological needs,
safety, love and care and
esteem needs. The
psychological needs are
those one needs to survive,
such as food, water,
oxygen, shelter and more.
Then comes the need for
safety and protection for
one’s family’ these needs
include safe shelter,
security, protection from
both mental and physical
damage, etc. Thirdly is the need for love and care, which is the need for affection, friends and
relationships in general. Lastly, the esteem needs. These needs are t hose that one gets from the
innerself. There are two types, low self esteem and a high self esteem. The low self esteem needs
include wanting the respect of others, status, fame, recognition and even dominance. The high
self esteem need is to have respect for yourself; this is the higher of the two self-esteems because
self-respect is harder to loose than the respect of others.
Maslow recorded these findings by observing a group of historical figures, which
included Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Ghandi, Albert Einstein and others. In his findings, he also
stated that self-actualized people have a pacifist sense of humour, which means they would
rather tell jokes about themselves or at the world in general, rather than at others. These people
accepted people for who they were, they didn’t try to change them to what they thought each
person should be like and they prefer being themselves than being pretentious or artificial.
All of these findings of Maslow have created a basic understanding of what things are
necessities to humans and which are not. For example, in the 1960’s, this was most important to
those who wew looking for meaning and purpose in their lives. This theory helped them look for
a path to lead their life to success.
Another way that Maslow’s was inspirational was, for example, the reason why humans
wake up in the morning and what motivates us to do so. Maslow’s theory states that by
accomplishing goals, people motivate themselves to do even more. When a person is on the rise
of success or promotion or an increase in business profits, they are excited and they motivate
themselves to get up in the morning and to do more to get excitement.
Lastly, Maslow’s theory was a great importance not only for the education, but also for
the business management. His theory applies to business because if the manager wants to
maximize the effectiveness of its employees, it must be considered what the employees want first.
If they feel that the workload is extremely heavy, then the manager should take into account and
either lower the tasks or to give longer due dates. This gives the employees the encouragement to
do their work as they realize that the manager has taken their problem into consideration and had
given them what they asked for. Those managers who know their employees needs use this
theory and are successful for their position. Both managers and employees are fulfilled,
managers are happy that the employees are doing their work in an efficient way and the
employees are like the fact that their boss cooperates with them and listens to what they have to
say. However, the Maslow’s theory had an impact on the business management system, in order
for everyone to cooperate.
In conclusion, Maslow’s theory is inspirational not only to businesses, but also to
everyday life. His theory helped everyone in society to realize basic needs of life, priorities, and
how to spend their money and time where it is most needed, and worry about the luxuries after
the necessities are complete. Without this inspirational theory created by Maslow, people around
the world may not know what the basic needs of life are. For example, the third world countries
and first world countries would have even less in common than what they do today. At least,
today they have the same basic needs, maybe without this theory, even this would be different.
However, the Maslow’s theory is influencing also the relationship between the business and the
customer. The company should come with a product or a service that satisfies their target
customers needs, and, on the other side, the customers should know their priorities and their own
needs, not the needs that are induced by themselves, the society, or the company itself. Therefore,
Abraham Maslow is an inspirational psychologist who has lead us to the right way of spending
money.